DISAPPOINTING HIS FAMILY WAS TOP NARC'S FEAR.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

GLENDALE - Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz, who lives in Santa Clarita and always promised his wife and children he would try to get home to them, will never forget the day 10 years ago when he and his team forced open the door of a drug dealer's home.

The drug dealer opened fire with an AK-47.

``I still to this day see the rounds coming through the door - the holes, the wood splintering, the stucco breaking off the walls, the glass breaking,'' said Lorenz, 40.

Luckily, the man missed with all his shots, and Lorenz, who has five daughters, got back to his family after the narcotics team arrested the dealer and seized 5 1/2 tons of cocaine and $2 million in cash from the home, located in Riverside County.

Lorenz has spent more than half of his 20-year career working as a narcotics officer, cooperating with many law-enforcement agencies and participating in more than 1,000 narcotics cases. He has helped to arrest hundreds of criminals and to seize tons of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines, as well as millions of dollars in cash and assets.

For his leadership and investigative skills, the California Narcotic Officers Association has named him CNOA Officer of the Year, winner of the Alfred E. Stewart Award in memory of a sheriff's deputy fatally shot while coming to the aid of a California Highway Patrol officer.

Thomas Layton, regional chairman of CNOA, said Lorenz deserves the award for his infectious energy and dedication.

``It was a no-brainer for him to win this. He's incredible, and he has the respect of officers around the world,'' said Layton, 44, who went through the police academy with Lorenz in 1984.

``He's probably the most unselfish officer I've ever met because he'll give of his time to train other officers.''

Known among his colleagues for his modesty, Lorenz maintains that he is just part of the team.

``When you do undercover work and you're in a hotel room alone, negotiating a deal with hundreds of thousands of dollars exchanging hands and you know these crooks are armed, you put your life in the hands of your partners, and you trust that they're going to take care of you and step in if things go bad,'' he said.

But Lorenz distinguished himself early in his career. He was hired by the Glendale Police Department at the age of 20 and earned a promotion to narcotics investigations with less than three years of experience as an officer.

He recalled how, as a young and naive officer, he was forced to quickly learn about the drug culture. In his job, effectively playing a role made the difference between life and death.

Narcotics officers are a special breed, said Tony Alvarez, a retired Los Angeles Police Department officer who worked in narcotics investigation for 22 years. Alvarez, a former Stewart Award winner, was Lorenz's squad leader on a special task force.

``Not every officer can do it. I believe ... that they are the best investigators in police work,'' said Alvarez, 56, who now works in the fraud division of the Department of Insurance in Santa Clarita. ``Tom was a very knowledgeable guy. He knew what he was doing. He knew the law. He had great knowledge in the area of search and seizure, and he set himself apart.'

The life of a narcotics officer is an unpredictable one in which Lrenz had to get used to sleeping in cars and not going home for days.

Still, the move surprised many who knew his work when he requested and received a transfer to become the Glendale Police Department's spokesman and adjunct to the police chief.

More than the danger, he father of five daughters had worried about being forced to bail on planned family outings at the last minute or about not being able to say exactly when he'd be home.

``You're not on your own time. You're on the drug dealer's clock,'' Lorenz said about narcotics investigations. ``It gets really, really difficult when you have a family and your kids wonder when you're coming home.''

Naush Boghossian, [phone]

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Glendale police Sgt. Tom Lorenz, a Santa Clarita resident has been honored by the California Narcotic Officers Association.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer